1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, in particular, to joining components to each other. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for bonding components to each other using solder and exothermic reactions.
2. Background
Many devices include electronic circuits. These electronic circuits may take the form of integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may also be referred to as chips. Typically, an integrated circuit is placed in a package. The package may comprise two parts. The integrated circuit may be mounted on one part, such as a substrate. The other part, a cover, may be bonded to the substrate to form the package with the integrated circuit located inside of the package. The package provides protection and electrical connections for the integrated circuit. The package may then be mounted on a substrate, such as a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board provides mechanical support and an electrical connection between different electronic components.
In other cases, an integrated circuit may be mounted or formed on the printed circuit board. A cover may be placed over the integrated circuit and bonded to the printed circuit board. The cover may be bonded to the circuit board to cover the integrated circuit in a manner such that a hermetic seal is formed.
An example of an integrated circuit with supporting components on which a hermetic seal may be desired is a phased array antenna module. This type of circuit, as well as other types of electronic circuits, may be sealed to reduce moisture from entering and affecting the operation of these circuits. Currently, the circuits are often hermetically sealed in ceramic packages, glass or metal packages, or other types of packages. In some cases, covers may be placed directly on a printed circuit board substrate. These types of packages typically use solder to form a seal against moisture intrusions.
Soldering, resistance welding, or some other suitable technique is typically used to bond the cover to the substrate. The heat generated in bonding the cover to the substrate involves temperatures over periods of time that may be higher than desired. These temperatures may produce undesired effects on the integrated circuit and other co-located components. For example, high temperatures may cause undesired effects, such as damaging the bonding material that attaches an integrated circuit to a substrate, destroying the components that are co-located with the integrated circuit within the same package, inducing stress on the integrated circuit and surrounding components, reducing the life of the integrated circuit and its supporting components, or some combination thereof.
As a result, with currently used methods for sealing components, rework or replacement of damaged integrated circuits and other components may occur more often than desired. Accordingly, the time and expense needed to manufacture circuits and circuit systems may be greater than desired.
Therefore, it would desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.